Index head



Dec. 1948. s us 2,456,007

INDEX HEAD 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 24, 1945 FIG. 2

Patented Dec. '14, 1948 UNITED PAT OFFICE t a isaoot INDEX HEAD Newman Marsilius, i Trumbull Colin; 7 Application Au ust 24, 1945,,senaiim. 612,509

1 This invention relates tanew and 'useful improvements in indexing devicesand hasparticular relation to an index head adapted for more or lessgeneral use:

Anobject of the invention is wprovide-an index head. including means-wherein through the instrumentality ofa single lever, as'ahand lever; the index head may beunl'ocked; indexed "and locked' in its" new position. I Q' Other obj acts and advantages of the invention will become apparent from a consideration I of the foilowi'ng detailed description taken in conneoti'on with the accompanying drawings where'- im a satisfactory embodiment of the invention isshown; However, it" is tobe understood that the invention is not limited to the details disclosed but includes all such variations and 'modificati'ons as-fall-wi-thihthe spirit of thei'nvent'ion and the scope of the appended claims; 1 4

In: the drawing:

Fig; 1 is atop planzv-iew oi an.indexhead',made

inaccordance with the inventiom Fig; 2is an elevationalview of such heaithe view being: taken as looking: from' theloWer' side of Fig-; 1;'

Fig. 3 is. a horizontal. sectional: view: taken as along the plane of the1ine3 -3 of Fig. 4;: and

Fig; 4' is avertical centralisectional view taken as along theplane of the line 4-4 of Fig; 3.

Referring in" detailto the drawing, the index:

head of the invention includes a base' or mountmg ortion generally designated. in and a -head or movable" portion generallydesignated l'l.

'Base in is shown" ascomprising a casting" induct-- II which latter also includes a top plate I! having bearing on the upper edge" oithe wall" I52. Centrally of the plate I1 is. a raised portion l8 shown as having a work holder tlasecuredthereon as by screws or the like 20.

As the description proceeds it will become evident that the form of the work holder I9 is not an essential feature of the invention and that any desired work holder may be used. However, when the chuck type holder is used, as shown, a

tud'i'nall'y'movable l'o'cking' bolt 2'? mounted in asleeve o'rharrel 2'8. This sleeve or barrel is positioned in a porti'bn ofthe outer'vertica'l wall I! of the base ['0 but arh'oriz'ontal" plane correspoiidihgwiththat-0E the bushings 262' Depending from the Bolt 21 is a pin 29 rigid with the bolt and constantly engaged by coil spring 30; This spring is normally ur'glhg'the-holt' to a looking position and returns it to' such position on release oftlie bolt aiter it has been forced fromloclti'n'g positibn: v

Fixed an the lower end of the postl6 as by screws 3| anddowels 32-, is a" ratchet wheel 33.

rams-ms: about the post Hi as a; center is a-hand lever 34' the: inner portion of which comprises a ring 35 encircling the post.- A screw'or" other pivot" means- 35 secures one end ofa' pawl- 31 against the underside of the lever 34 adjacent} to the post Wand-a; as,-1or example, leaf spring 38, normally urges the tree and of the pawl into engagement with the ratchet wheel 3 3. This spr ing' is shown as flxed to thel'e'ver' 34 by screws 39 A- nut 40' adapted to b'elooked in place by screws W is" threaded against the outer side of the lower portion of the p'o'stand bears against the undersideof the hub* portion 150i th elcarse Hi to prevent rela'tive vertical movement ofthe base and head.

Fixed on thele'ver 341's a c'amming device 4-2. This device comprises an arcuate shaped iece having a" rise 1'3 and then afired radius outer wall portionl l to-whicl i such leads. In all positions of theieversl the cam 4-2" is-located at the inner side of the pin 29 depending from' the mentor the lever" the base to isprovided with an opening through one side; Additionally, the base is provided with a rather large arcuate opening or socket 46 permitting of movement of the cam 42. In one edge portion of its wall [2 the base In is provided with a series of tapped openings 41 adapted to receive screws 48 used in securing a stop block 49 in place. Obviously, through means of the screws in the tapped holes, this block may be secured in various positions.

In its forward end the block carries an adjustable screw 50 located in the path of movement of the lever 34. With this arrangement a rough adjustment of the block 49 may be made and then micrometer corrections provided by adjustment of the screw 50. In addition to the above, the lever 34 carries an adjustable screw adapted to engage a portion 52 of the vertical wall of base l0. The wall portion provided with the tapped openings 4'! is located slightly above the path of movement of lever 34 and in order to lo cate the screw 50 in such path of movement the block 49 is provided with a depending lug 54 (see particularly Figs. 2 and 4) carrying said .screw.

4 one hand while the operator has the other hand free to control a machine or any part of a machine in connection with which the present index head may be used. While the lever is against wall 52, that is, while the lever is in its normal position, the base and head are locked together.

With the adjustable stop means provided the stroke of the lever 34 and thus the extent of indexing movement imparted to head ll may be fixed so that there is no occasion for the operator bearing in mind the precise extent to which he moves the lever 34. With the stops properly located he simply moves the lever to engage the stop 5| and then back to engage the stop screw lever has been given the movement required for When using the indexing headof'the invention the work is secured in the holder 19 or in any other suitable holder and where a number of pieces are to be treated the screw 2i may be ad- Justed so that the work is simply dropped into the holder and then the holder closed onto the work. To index the work, lever 34 ismoved in a clockwise direction and during such movement merely turns about post [6 as a center and at the same time the pawl 31 merely rides over the teeth of ratchet wheel 33.

As the lever 34 is given-initial movement in a clockwise direction, the rise 43 of the cam 42 is carried against the pin 29, which is rigid with the locking bolt 21, and forces such pin radially outwardly. This results in the locking bolt being moved out of any of the bushings 26 with which thebolt happens to be engaged. As movement of the lever continues surface 44 of the cam is being moved against pin 29 so that the locking bolt is maintained in retracted position against the tendency of the spring 30. 7

When the lever has been moved to the desired extent'in a-clockwise direction its direction of movement is reversed. On this reverse movement the tooth of pawl 31 engages a tooth of the ratchet wheel 33 so that the lever 34 is latched to the post l6 and return movement or counter clockwise movement of the'lever results in counter clockwise movement of the head I I.

At the end of the return movement stop screw 5| engages the wall portion52 and at the same time surface 44 of the cam 42 has moved from under the pin 29 and as the rise i3 of the cam moves from under the pin the spring 30 is moving the locking bolt 27 into one of the hardened and ground bushings 26. Thus at the end of the return stroke of lever 34 head ll has been indexed and is locked in its new position. Where a number of similar pieces are to be similarly indexed the stop block 49 is properly located so that clockwise movement of the lever 34 is positively limited to one, two, three or more of the teeth of ratchet wheel .33 so that the same movement will be imparted to each piece of work with- I out any necessity for the operator counting the clicks as the pawl 31 moves over the teeth of the ratchet wheel.-

From the above it will be seen that with the device of the invention the operator need manipu la'tebut one lever tounlock the, index head, impart the indexing movement and r'elock the index head. Therefore the device may be operated with the proper indexing of the work in hand.

' Having thus set forth the nature of my invention, what I claim is:

In an indexing device, a base including an inner hub-like portion and an outer annular walllike portion extending beyond each end of said hub-like portion, a head including a central post passing through said hub-like portion of the base and a, top plate having bearing on an outer end of said annular wall, an annular portion on the inner side of said plate and located at the inner side of said annular wall, said annular portion having a series of sockets therein, a locking bolt movable radially through said annular wall, a spring normally urging said locking bolt toward one of said sockets to lock the base and head together on entrance of the bolt into a socket, a ratchet wheel within said base and rigid with the inner end of said post, a lever movable about an inner portion of said post as a pivot, a pawl carried by said lever within said head and adapted to ride over the teeth of the ratchet wheel on movement of the lever from normal position and to engage a tooth of the wheel and impart turning movement to the head as the lever is moved to normal position, an elongated longitudinally curved cam within said base and rigid at one of its ends with an intermediate portion of said lever, said cam adapted to shift said locking bolt REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the ille of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,964,351 Haas June 26, 1934 2,352,489 Melin June 27, 1944 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 109,413 Germany Mar. 23, 1900 16,831 Great Britain 1901 330,212 Germany Dec. 10, 1920 

